Over on table 298, we found Aussie online phenom Kristian "Bada Bing" Lunardi and an opponent on the button go heads-up into a flop of 
. Lunardi checked to the button who bet 800 and Lunardi called, before both players checked their option on the turn of the 
.
Lunardi then led out for 1,825 on the river of the 
, but that was enough for the button player to lay his hand down.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
34,600
4,600
|
4,600 |
In 2009, Charlie Elias lived his poker dream and played in the WSOP Main Event, along with 6,483 other players right here at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. Nobody expected the then-26-year-old floor tiler from Sydney to go deep, but he defied the odds and finished up in 53rd place, taking home USD $138,568.
In the same year, Jonathan Werthheim (248th place - $32,963) Craig Ivey (267th place - $32,963) and Emma Grace (404th place - $27,469) all made the money, before Nick Filippopoulos (487th place - $27,519) and Phil Faux (577th place - $24,079) made their run to fortune and fame in 2010.
This year, 14 players from all around Australia have flown into Las Vegas to take their shot at poker stardom, thanks once again to the Australian Poker League, the world's largest freeroll pub poker provider.
Amongst the pack in today's Day 1d flight are Adam Hills, Kevin Gardner, Thor Sutherland, Cameron Shepherd, Zoran Stanojevic, Shane Shalders, Chris Alleaume and Khai Nguyen, while Shivan Abdine, Alex Sandys, Sarah Loft, Troy Brindle, John Azzi and Eli Bakirtzidis have already played on Day 1b.
The PokerNews Live Reporting team will do their best to keep an eye out for them during the Main Event, but you can also click here for exclusive coverage.
A lot of talk at the tables about what the final tally is going to be for entrants at this year's Main Event -- and, of course, what that final prize pool will be. A player over in the Yellow section was just telling his table how he'd finished around 200th back in 2005, for which he noted he'd won about $39,000.
Interestingly, just a table over from that player is sitting someone with a pretty specific memory of the 2005 WSOP and its prize pool. He's wearing headphones, though, and so didn't hear the conversation nearby. There sits Steve Dannenmann, who finished second to Joe Hachem that year to win a cool $4.25 million of that event's $52.8 million prize pool.
We joined the pot on a 
{Td] flop with about 3,000 already in the middle. Steve Zolotow was first to act, and he made the first bet of 2,500. His lone opponent raised to 8,800, and Zolotow reraised all in for the ~18,000 he had left. The snap-call came, and Zolotow knew it was bad news. "That must mean sevens," he astutely surmised.
Showdown
Zolotow: 
Opponent: 
The turn 
and river 
failed to improve Steve Z's overpair, and he has been sent to the rail here early in Day 1d.
We caught up to the action at Table 52 to find a player in early position make it 500 to anyone who wanted to see a flop. Action was next on Nelly who sat there contemplating what he wanted to do next. Before Nelly could decide on how he wanted to play the hand the next player to act moved all in for 6,000. The dealer informed the player that it wasn't his turn and gave him his chips back. Nelly then smooth called. The player who tried to go all in out of turn then attempted to fold, but the table stopped him and an argument began about what that player is allowed to do so the floor was called. After being explained the situation the floor ruled that the player was indeed all in.
Action folded around to Nick Binger who sat in silence for a few moments, before he realised he was still in the hand. He folded and told the table "I thought I folded ages ago". The action eventually folded to the player in early position who angrily folded his cards. Nelly then instantly called the all in and cards were tabled.
Nelly: 
Opponent: 
The cards then came out 
and Nelly was awarded the pot as his pair aces trumped his opponents pair of fours.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
15,000 |
2010 WSOP Player of the Year Frank Kassela has had a pretty abysmal series so far by his standards, and after a bad call in this last hand, he has not started the Main Event off well either.
We came into a hand on the turn with the board reading 
and the player in the big blind open-shoved for 23,100. Kassela was understandably a little taken aback and he went into the tank for some time. Eventually he made the call and his opponent tabled 
and Kassela just said, "you're crushing" as he flipped over his 
The river was the 
and Kassela has fallen to just around 7,000. Not a good start to the day
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
7,400
22,600
|
22,600 |
|
||
Julian Thew hasn't had the easiest start today, he's down to just a half stack after he paid off a 6,200 bet on the river of an 
board, only to be shown 
by his opponent.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
15,000
13,500
|
13,500 |
The 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event is in full swing and we've decided to follow Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso as she competes on Day 1d of the Main Event. We've got Danielle Barille on the task at hand and you can follow along as she shadows Rousso for an entire day at the WSOP Main Event. Check it out.
With 3,000 in the pot and a flop of 
, a player in early position bet 2,700 only to have Chris DeMaci raise to 6,800 from the cutoff. The original bettor eventually splashed in a call and both players proceeded to check down the 
turn and 
river.
The early-position player confidently rolled over 
for a full house. DeMaci simply mucked as he dropped to 32,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
32,000
2,000
|
2,000 |
Jennifer Tilly is down to almost 20,000 in chips after losing a sizeable pot to an opponent over on table 293.
The action folded around to the player in the hijack who raised to 525 before the flop; Tilly called from the cutoff, as did the big blind to go three ways into a flop of 
.
The big blind checked to the hijack who led out for 750 and Tilly and the big blind flat-called before the dealer produced the turn of the 
. Again, the big blind checked, but he folded after the hijack led out for 1,200 and Tilly called, making it heads-up to the river of the .
This time, the hijack checked and Tilly opened for 3,000. The hijack called, tabling and Tilly kicked her hand into the muck.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
20,700
10,700
|
10,700 |
|
||
